Pirates

So, pirates, eh? Aye, me hearties, I be writin’ me new novel with a pirate theme. Aye, I be serious.

I’ve always ‘ad a fascination with pirates. Back in me Lego days (ah, how I miss me Lego days) I loved the pirate sets and the pirate ships. Granted, per’aps not as much as the Medieval sets, but nevertheless. They be paragons o’ freedom, of adventure. An’ they be interestin’, too — there be such opportunity for moral grey areas.

There be great opportunity in writin’ a pirate novel, too. There already be a lot of pirate mythology out there, pirate tropes and ideas I can be drawin’ on — sea monsters, an’ Davy Jones, and buried treasure (oh my). An’ with those tropes there also be a lot o’ room to play with yer expectations, twist things in a new direction.

An’ the ‘ole genre ‘as a certain feel about it these days. From Muppet Treasure Island to The Curse of Monkey Island, pirates aren’t really taken seriously. Ye can ‘ave a lot o’ fun with the ideas, but still ‘ave a meaningful story. Even Pirates of the Caribbean, the definin’ pirate movie of our generation, doesn’t take itself seriously — I mean, it be based on a Disney Land ride!

The internet takes pirates to a ‘ole new level as well, o’ course, what with the pirate vs. ninja debates. (Arr, can ye guess which side o’ that I be on?)

It just be such a rich subgenre — an’ yet, how many pirate novels can ye think of? A couple, maybe? (Or maybe I just don’t know of ’em all…) There be a lot that can still be explored, an’ the feel of the setting — the freedom, the adventure, the fun… Aye, I be lookin’ forward to writin’ this novel.

So, aye. I like me pirates. An’ I’ll be immersed in pirates fer the next year as I write this novel.

I don’t really ‘ave any more to say on the topic — not today, at least. Nothin’ groundbreakin’ or profound. Instead, I’ll just be leavin’ ye with this little pirate limerick I wrote.

There once was a pirate from France
Who wore typically swashbucklery pants
They whipped in the wind
As he sailed and grinned
At the prospect of doing a dance.